Recess Resources

From Researchers, Experts, and National Organizations

  • 1998 research on impact of recess on classroom behavior
  • Within subjects design
  • Differed on recess and non-recess day, becoming more on task and less fidgety when they had recess
  • 60% of children (including all 5 with ADD & balance of boys & girls) benefited
  • They worked more or fidgeted less (or both) on recess days
  • Recess – break in whatever one is doing “a period of time away from the task at hand; an interlude, a change of pace”
  • Adult equivalent of recess, the coffee break, is an opportunity to move around and to socialize
  • “The need for schoolchildren to be physically active, to talk with peers, and to play freely”
  • Recess is internationally important
  • For schools that may have PE and not recess, when the students have PE at the beginning of the day it does not allow them to have an instructional break
  • They also do not get to move freely and interact spontaneously
  • Jambor and Guddemi (1992) and Pellegrini (1995) ID 3 major arguments that schools have to justify the abolition of recess
  • 1. There is no time for recess because more instructional time is needed to raise test scores
  • 2. Recess disrupts the work patterns of children, causing high levels of excitement and subsequent inattentiveness
  • 3. Recess encourages aggression and anti-social behavior
  • Pellegrini and Bjorklund & Smith (1993, 95, 97) ID several ideas to support recess as useful instructional practice
  • Surplus of energy– Herbert Spencer in 1898 accumulates when one is engaged in sedentary activities and that an opportunity for physical activity is needed to blow off steam or use the surplus energy
  • Novelty arousal theory – persons function better when they have a change of pace – when they become habituated in an activity they become bored and seek novelty
  • Principle of massed vs. distributed practice – memory recall improved when learning is spaced rather than massed (distributed over time)
  • Recess could be seen as spacing between time
  • A Research-Based Case for Recess.
  • Journal of School of Health – Crucial role of recess in schools 2009
  • Reallocating time to accentuate academic concerns is a growing trend and has put recess at risk
  • At the same time pressure to increase activity in school has come from efforts to combat childhood obesity
  • Themes of the articles supported recess as beneficial for children’s cognitive, social, emotional, and physical functioning
  • Optimal recess = well-supervised & safe
  • Crucial components = well-maintained playground equipment & well trained supervisors
  • “Recess is a complement to, not a replacement for, physical education. Both promote activity and a healthy lifestyle”
  • Recess (unstructured & free play) provide unique contribution to child’s creative, social and emotional development
  • Should not be withheld as punishment
  • The longest recess time is in rural areas, shortest in cities, shortest for schools where 75% of kids qualify for free lunch
  • Pediatrics
  • Pediatrics stance on importance of recess – various benefits (social, cognitive, physical)
  • Structured vs. Unstructured recess
  • Time to rest, play, imagine, think, move and socialize
  • Students are more attentive and better able to perform cognitively after recess
  • Helps young children to develop social skills that are otherwise not acquired in the more structured classroom environment
  • Many schools wellness councils adopt “Recess before lunch” stemming from studies that examine food waste by students in relation to timing of recess – CDC supports
  • Japan primary children have 10-15 minute break every hour – fact that attention spans begin to wane after about 40-50 minutes of intense instruction
  • Recommendations for recess
  • Necessary break
  • Cognitive processing and performance depend on regular breaks from concentrating
  • Recess is complement to, not a replacement for physical education
  • Recess can serve as a counterbalance to sedentary time and contribute to recommended 6 0minutes of moderate to vigorous activity/day (AAP)
  • Structured or unstructured, recess should be safe & supervised
  • Peer interactions during recess are a unique complement to classroom
  • Communication, negotiation, cooperation, sharing, problem solving, coping
  • Cutting PE and Recess: Troubling Trends & How You can Help
  • 2001 passage of No Child Left Behind Act
  • Schools have struggled to find ways to meet act’s rigorous assessment standard
  • Cut PE/Recess or time withheld as punishment or extra tutoring
  • National PTA – resolution on recess (
  • National Association for Sport and Physical Education recommend 20 min of recess
  • Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 2007 36% of children receive the recommended amount of physical activity
  • American Academy of Pediatrics ‘recess crucial & necessary component to child’s development’
  • National Wildlife Federation Initiative to get 10 million more American children outside since they spend only minutes/day outside but as much as 7 hours in front of computer/TV
  • Few efforts at a national, state, or district level promoting the adoption of policies supporting recess or PE
  • National Institute of Health – report that recess more likely to be scheduled at schools/in districts/states with a recess policy in place
  • FIT Kids Act – contact congress on Fitness Integrated with Teaching Kids Act
  • NFL Back to Sports – encourage students to join sports teams & get active
  • Fire Up Your Feet by Safe Routes to School National Partnership and Kaiser Permanente
  • Let’s Move – 60 min of physical activity while raising money for schools
  • School recess and group classroom behavior
  • Findings: 8-9 year olds having at least 1 daily recess period of more than 15 minutes was associated with better teacher’s rating of class behavior scores
  • Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder recess is helpful in allowing them to socialize more with peers and practice social interactions
  • Peers are models of target behavior or therapists with an active role in promoting and reinforcing target behavior
  • This list the existing policies for every state
  • Lists:
  • General Physical Activity Requirement
  • Recess or Physical Activity Breaks
  • Recess Before Lunch
  • Walking/Biking to School
  • CDC Supporting Recess in Elementary Schools
  • Can improve children’s physical, social & emotional well-being and enhance learning
  • Can help children to meet the goal of 60 minutes of physical activity every day
  • (Recommended by the US Department of Health & Human Services)
  • What actions have school districts & states taken? (2011-2012 BTG Study)
  • Districts:
  • 60% of districts had no policy regarding daily recess for elementary schools
  • 22% required daily recess for elementary school students
  • 18% recommended daily recess
  • Less than 1/3 encouraged at least 20 minutes
  • <7% required set amount of time for physical activity
  • 2/3 included recess in definition of PA
  • 3% suggested specific amount of time for PA through school
  • State:
  • 5 states required daily recess for elementary school students
  • 1 required at least 20 minutes
  • 8 states recommended daily recess
  • 2 states recommended at least 20 minutes
  • 10 states required a set amount of time for physical activity
  • ½ included recess in definition of PA
  • 4 states recommended a specific amount of time for PA through school
  • Lists suggested actions that schools districts and states can make to improve recess
  • Recess may help kids feel more engaged, safer and positive about the school day
  • Recess can promote a positive school climate that is linked to attendance and achievement (especially in low income elementary schools)
  • 4 key elements for students:
  • Physical and emotional safety at school
  • Positive relationships with peers and adults
  • Support for learning
  • Institutional environment that fosters school connectedness & engagement
  • The quality of recess does play a role
  • Adults are important to the recess experience
  • Well-run & well-organized recess seems to be better
  • Spring 2011 – Recess Makes Kids Smarter
  • Parent says that nowadays, kids don’t know how to socialize among other groups
  • Trend of recess cuts dates back to the late 80s, but the No Child Left Behind Act accelerated it
  • Main concerns with recess have been instruction time, safety, lack of supervision, and subpar playground equipment
  • All work no play has not settled well with parents and teachers
  • Bringing back recess has been prompted by the obesity epidemic & Michelle Obama’s spotlight on childhood health
  • New brain research showing links between physical activity and learning
  • Coaches setting up new games that make recess run more smoothly
  • Parents banding together with teachers to change policy
  • The decision of whether or not to have recess is usually a local school decision
  • 2/3 of principals report taking away recess as punishment for behavior problems or not finishing work “The State of Play” 2009 survey
  • Recess has taken hardest hit in urban areas & less likely to get recess for African Americans (39% don’t get recess; 15% of whites)
  • Living below poverty line (44% poor children; 17% others)
  • Struggling academically (25% scored below mean on standardized test; 15% who scored above)
  • 2003 Research issue of “Teachers College Record”
  • ¾ Parents say that recess should be mandatory
  • Survey by the “National Parent Teacher Association”
  • 8/10 Principals 2009 say recess has a positive impact on academic learning
  • Ultimate goal in many states is to pass legislation so that recess could not be eliminated by individual schools
  • Improving Recess for better supervision and equipment
  • Teachers in schools that partner with Playworks said that they reclaim up to 40 instructional hours/year because students return without the same drama from recess
  • It is important that kids have free time to play outside of adult parameters